


On a Pedestal

by Malachite_Knightess



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Power Dynamics, Resolved Sexual Tension, Vaginal Fingering, because lets be honest she isnt a top, bottom edelgard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24066199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malachite_Knightess/pseuds/Malachite_Knightess
Summary: War has been difficult for Edelgard. She's tense and exhausted, and she's lonely, for all her glory as Emperor. Her general does her a favor, and helps her release some of that tension.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/Ladislava
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	On a Pedestal

**Author's Note:**

> this is... a trip. who let ladislava have so little dialogue!!!!! let this hot girl have a fucking last name, at least.  
> in any case, i wrote this bc of alex. they said this:  
> "edelgard: I'm horny and grumpy and nobody around here is down to fuck  
> ladislava: your majesty I will fuck you in whatever way you want just say the word"  
> and my brain went 👀  
> enjoy!!!!!!!

War was bitter. It was bitter, and angry, and restless, and Edelgard knew it was going to hurt, but she didn’t think it would be this taxing. She was always prepared to make necessary sacrifices, but that didn’t stop her hands from shaking when she spent one too many restless nights poring over maps and strategies, reviewing and reworking tactics and trying to keep casualties to a minimum while she pressed her advantage. 

Byleth’s absence didn’t make things any easier. When they had turned their sword on the church to protect her, she had been overjoyed at the fact that her teacher was willing to follow her. She had expected an extra helping hand, another bright mind to guide her when she went astray, to assure her when she had the right decision in hand, but doubted herself, and to care for her in ways that only someone who knew her, who  _ truly  _ knew her could. 

Hubert was an immense help, certainly. Without him, there was not a chance she could have gotten this far. And the support of the rest of her classmates, her Black Eagle Strike Force, it meant everything to her. All of them had brought her resources, Petra with supplies from Brigid, and the know-how when it came to keeping an army fed, Ferdinand in all his annoyingly helpful pompousness, was an invaluable second opinion when it came to strategy and resource management, Dorothea in her ability to upkeep morale, from her closest friends to a nameless soldier, Caspar in the way he would take outposts and strongholds with brazen abandon, Linhardt in the way he would reel Caspar in when necessary, and direct medicinal distribution to the injured, and even Bernadetta, for all her fear and anxiety, had stood up and proven to be one of her most valuable combatants. 

More than that, though, she was happy to have friends at her side, throughout all this. For all of her strength as an emperor, as a  _ leader _ , she was not infallible, and when she made mistakes, they could be counted on to assist her in righting them before the damage was too severe. 

She had allowed herself to elect two new generals as well, for their assistance in bringing troops from Adrestia for the siege on Garreg Mach. Randolph was instrumental for his accomplishments in the field, and his notable desire to prove himself as a step-son from House Bergliez. 

Ladislava, on the other hand, was a member of Edelgard’s personal guard. She’d known her for quite some time, and had come to value her for her loyalty and her strength. She had proven to be a formidable force, and had more than earned her promotion. Edelgard trusted her, nearly as much as she trusted Hubert. 

A knock on her chamber doors roused her from her thoughts, and she sighed a little, running a hand through her hair, which was done up more casually, as the days began to grow longer. Edelgard wore it in a simple side ponytail, as opposed to the imposing buns she word intertwined with her crown, when she needed to appear before troops or heads of houses, come to offer allegiance and seek shelter. She was still dressed in her imposingly crimson dress, though she had neglected the heavy cape that went with it some time earlier this evening. Even her shoulders grew weary, from time to time. 

“Your Majesty, may I enter?” Ah, there was Ladislava now, as though summoned by Edelgard’s thoughts of her. She had an uncanny way of appearing just when she was thought about.

“You may, General.”

The door opened, and Ladislava stood there, a tray in her hands. She had shed her armor for a more mobile outfit, simple though it was. A dark red blouse covered her arms and chest, and a simple pair of black trousers and boots were plenty comfortable. Her eyes, an orchid pink, softened at the sight of Edelgard, still hunched over her desk. It was littered with papers, from letters requesting armaments and supplies, to reports from the front lines, to an open strategy treatise that Ladislava knew she was fond of. She set the tray down, on a mahogany table tucked into the corner of the room, as though it was an afterthought. 

“Lady Edelgard, I understand that as Emperor, you have many responsibilities. However, I must insist that you take the time to keep yourself fed, at the very least.” 

Edelgard turned from her work, setting her quill aside for a moment to meet Ladislava’s eyes. They were pleading, almost, and Edelgard was reminded of another of her most appealing strengths: her thoughtfulness. 

“Ladislava, you needn’t fuss over me anymore. You are no longer a member of my personal guard, because you are better than to be tasked with watching over someone like me. Please, don’t concern yourself with my well-being. You must focus on your responsibilities, now that you are a general.” 

Edelgard would not deny that she had forgotten to eat dinner. However, if she was so burdensome an emperor to trouble her generals with her habits, she was no emperor at all. 

“If that is an order, then I would leave you be, heavy as it would make my heart. I am beyond grateful for your grace in my promotion.” Ladislava smiled at her, brushing a lock of her coffee-brown hair behind her ear. “But I would insist that you eat first. You are important to me, and not only for your status as Emperor.” There was a tenseness to her jaw, as though she wished to say more, but she did not continue speaking.

  
Edelgard acknowledged her with a heavy exhale from her nose, striding to the table and taking a seat at it. She took a forkful of the food, placing it delicately and pointedly in her mouth before chewing and swallowing.

“There. You have seen that I have eaten, and I will weigh on your mind no longer. Please, I insist that you do not worry about me any longer.” Ladislava shook her head, merely regarding Edelgard with a smile.

  
“I have spent far too long as your personal guard to leave you be when you are so clearly exhausted. Please, Your Majesty. Allow yourself this small kindness.” She paused, and her gaze fell to the floor. “I am well aware that you can take care of yourself. But you are stubborn, and you push yourself an exorbitant amount. As Emperor, you care for all of your people, but I wonder if you let any of those people show that they care for you in return.” Her eyes flick back up to meet Edelgard’s. Edelgard searches her expression, the determined look in her eyes, the way her lips quirk into a hesitant smile, and she sees no malice there. She sees no shame in her Emperor, and she sees only gratitude and respect. She relents.

“Very well. I will eat, and then… I would speak with you.” There’s a hesitance, there, and Edelgard feels her hands begin to tremble once more as she reaches for her fork. She curses under her breath, and reaches for the glass of water Ladislava had brought her, very carefully bringing it to her lips.

Ladislava watches her carefully through all this, and her gaze feels heavy on Edelgard’s back. She only hopes Ladislava can still see her as an emperor after this. She takes a deep breath, willing herself to calm down, to stop her hands from shaking, to flush away the angry, troubled thoughts in her head.

“I apologize.” Edelgard rasps. Her hands ball into fists, and even that does not stop them from shaking. Frustration rises in her throat, and it makes her want to claw it out of her skin and toss it aside. She must look so very pathetic right now. Some Emperor she is. “This… may take a while.” Edelgard screws her eyes shut, begging her body to stop this. She hears her heartbeat loud and invasive in her ears, and it’s all she can do to hope Ladislava doesn’t hate her after this.

“Open your eyes, Lady Edelgard.” With some hesitance, she does, and what she sees is Ladislava, fork in hand, seated across from her. She holds it up to Edelgard’s mouth, and she doesn’t say anything else, simply looking from the fork to her lips and gesturing slightly with the fork.

Though it tints her cheeks warm with embarrassment, Edelgard leans forward, allowing herself to be fed. It’s a truly shameful thing, she thinks, to need to be fed by another when you are not ill or injured, but when her hands have stopped trembling, minutes later, she fights with the idea of allowing Ladislava to feed her more, but takes the fork from her hand and finishes the meal herself. 

Amusement and fondness dance in Ladislava’s rosy eyes. She leans her cheek against one of her hands, and the other taps idly on her knee. Edelgard clears her throat, leaning back in her chair and averting her gaze.

“I… Thank you, Ladislava. For that, whole… thing. Please, do not tell anyone.” Ladislava nods, regarding Edelgard with genuine trust in her voice.

“I won’t. And if I may, I’ve sworn my life to your service. I’ve seen your dreams for Fódlan, and I will do anything to see them come to fruition. Something as simple as this… is mild in comparison. Your wish is my command. I will serve you in any way you need me.” Ladislava takes Edelgard’s hand in both of hers, and she slides from her seat to kneel before her. She looks up at Edelgard, and the devotion in her eyes makes Edelgard’s heart flutter in her chest. Edelgard can’t help looking away, the heat of her face a dead giveaway to the fact she’s blushing.  
“Pl-please, at ease, Ladislava. I am… well aware of your loyalty.” Ladislava smiles, obliging her request and returning to her seat. She sits patiently, looking at Edelgard expectantly, as though she could will her to vent her troubles away. Edelgard sighs, folding her hands in her lap and looking down at them. 

“I must admit, I never expected being the Emperor to be so lonely.” Edelgard spoke, and she could hear the wistfulness in her own voice. “Truly, nobody looks at me the same anymore. It wasn’t as though it wasn’t like this before I took the crown, but… now, it’s worse. I no longer feel that anyone sees me as an equal… or has any chance to. It’s frustrating, it makes me starved for touch. Something so casual as an embrace between friends is far out of my grasp now, let alone…” Edelgard huffs and shakes her head. She simply would not even begin to imply she was in need of  _ that _ . “Nevermind.”

Ladislava leans over, putting her hand over Edelgard’s. Edelgard lifts her head to meet her gaze, and wishes for a brief second she hadn’t. Ladislava looks so patient, so kind, that it breaks something in her.

“Please, Lady Edelgard. If you don’t want to, you needn’t say, but… bottling up these feelings will not help you let them out.” Damn her. Damn her and her weak heart, and her body, and the way that even through her gloves, Ladislava’s hands felt so warm and foreign that the sensation sent thrills up her arm.

“I beg of you to not speak of this to anyone. But I am feeling… pent-up, I suppose. It… I have not been able to experience, erm, baser pleasures, since this happened.” Goddess, her face was so red. She swears to whatever deities may or may not exist that if she lost a general to this, she would personally seek them out and bring them down from the heavens herself that she might slap them across the face.

“I would not presume to ask, Lady Edelgard. I will, however, admit that I find you to be…” Her eyes flit to Ladislava’s face, who in turn looks away, her face the same shade as her eyes. “You are a very beautiful woman. And I- I was not lying, when I stated that I would do whatever you needed of me.”

_Flames._ Edelgard bit the inside of her cheek, attempting to control the thrill that thrummed in her chest with every beat of her heart.   
“If you are willing, Ladislava… I wouldn’t say no. If you truly desire this, desire me… Please.” Her voice cracked in her throat with that last syllable, and it felt for a moment like she was swallowing a stone. Her heart felt like it might burst, and then Ladislava met her gaze, and she could not help herself.

Her lips were more chapped than her warmth towards Edelgard might suggest, but the sensation of them on her lips was soft. Edelgard didn’t want soft. She bit Ladislava’s lip, kissing her harder, and straddled her hips, despite the groan of the wooden chair beneath them. Ladislava’s hands found her thighs, keeping her steady on top of her. Edelgard kissed like she fought, putting strength into her every motion with no wasted effort. Her hands raced to Ladislava’s blouse, unbuttoning them with clumsy haste. She wasn’t thinking and she didn’t want to, either. She just wanted to feel something.

Ladislava caught her wrist with one of her hands, stopping her, before sliding her hands beneath Edelgard’s thighs and lifting her, carrying her to the bed in the corner. She sets Edelgard down, leaning back to remove her blouse and the garment that held her breasts in place. They were smaller than Edelgard’s, but still substantial, and Edelgard whined when Ladislava pressed her leg between her thighs, leaning over her to whisper in her ear.

  
“You may touch me all you like, Your Majesty. I’m yours.” Edelgard took the tip of her gloves’ fingers in her teeth, removing them hastily and tossing them aside. She wasn’t fond of her hands, and how they were criss-crossed with scars, but that was of no importance right now. She cupped Ladislava’s breasts, relishing the way that air hissed through her teeth when she gently pinched her nipple between her fingers. Ladislava snaked her hand behind Edelgard’s neck, undoing the clasp that held her dress in place and yanking it down to expose her neck and collarbone. She pressed feather-light kisses to Edelgard’s neck, groaning a little when she expressed her frustration with the teasing by roughly palming her breasts. 

Ladislava obliged her, kissing more roughly, and sinking her teeth into where Edelgard’s shoulder and neck met. She raked her tongue over the sensitive skin, and Edelgard hissed at the sensation.  
“More, please, Ladislava, _more._ ” She bit down again, harder this time, and Edelgard’s hands shifted to her back, where she dug her nails into her. Their lips met again, and she kissed her roughly, hard enough to bruise her lips. Edelgard whined at the sensation, dragging her nails down Ladislava’s back as though she was scrambling for purchase. Edelgard gasped for breath as she broke the kiss, shimmying so that she might rid herself of this horribly confining dress and chemise. She kicked off her boots, too, throwing them to some unimportant corner of the room, and she was left only in her undergarments before Ladislava. She trusted her, certainly. But the exposure made her feel vulnerable. Ladislava took off her trousers as well, slotting her knee back between Edelgard’s legs.

“You’re beautiful, Lady Edelgard.” She murmured into her skin, taking one of Edelgard’s nipples in her mouth and swirling her tongue around it. The sensation made Edelgard squirm beneath her, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could take this.

  
“L-ladislava, please,” She grinded her hips into Ladislava’s knee, and even that small pressure was some relief from the building tension inside her. Ladislava pulled her knee away, but only so that she could slide down, leaving a trail of bite marks across Edelgard’s skin, all the way down to her hips. Ladislava removed the last piece of Edelgard’s clothing, pressing a kiss to the inside of her thigh. Edelgard’s hands found Ladislava’s hair, firmly pressing her towards where she wanted to be touched, where she _needed_ to be touched. 

She was wet enough that one finger slid inside of her with ease, and the feeling of having something inside of her made her toes curl. It was good, but it wasn’t enough.  
“Another, please, please.” Ladislava pressed another finger inside of Edelgard, pushing deeper and beginning to work into her with a steady rhythm. She peppered kisses and gentle bites all across Edelgard’s thighs, and it wasn’t long before Edelgard was grinding her hips against Ladislava’s fingers, desperate for more friction.  
“Who knew Your Majesty was so good at begging?” It was perhaps the most dangerous thing Ladislava had said all evening, and Edelgard opened her mouth to chide her, but any complaints were lost in her throat when she curled her fingers _just_ right. Edelgard’s eyes screwed shut.

“R-right there.” She would  _ not _ say ‘please’ again. Not if she could help it. Ladislava followed her instructions, and before long, Edelgard was an incoherent mess of noises of pleasure. Thank goodness her room was soundproofed. “ _ Flames, _ Ladislava, that’s it…” She whined as the heat in her gut came to a head, and she bit her lip hard enough to taste copper. Ladislava leaned down, taking Edelgard’s clit in her mouth and  _ sucking _ , and as she thrusted her fingers in a few more times in quick succession, that was the last push Edelgard needed. 

She fell over the edge, tensing and scratching at her bed sheets as sparks became fire, and her skin felt as though it was burning in the best way as she came. Ladislava worked her through it, her thrusts becoming more gentle to ease her out of the pleasure and back to reality. She came down from it just as Ladislava carefully removed her fingers, and she lifted her head in time to see her lick the wetness from her hands, making eye contact with Edelgard all the while. 

“Do you need more, Your Majesty? If you need, I can run back to my room, I purchased the most interesting thing from the marketplace the other day-” Edelgard held up a hand, cutting her off.   


“Perhaps another time. But it’s getting late, and both of us need rest. I...” She sighed, sitting up and scooting forward. She presses an open-mouthed kiss to Ladislava’s lips, just barely snaking her tongue across her bottom lip before pulling away.

“I ought to return the favor, first, however.”


End file.
